A Winner is Two!: Desert Swordsman Anwar
by Peach the Hedgehog
Summary: While waiting for someone close to him to arrive, Anwar is kidnapped and forced to take part in a survival tournament. First he had his heart closed off... and now this?
1. Prologue: Anwar's Arrival

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**AN: This is my second entry in the A Winner Is Two! tournament. I feel I did Pekonyan's much better, but I think this came out well.**

Prologue: Anwar's Arrival

Darkness covered Anwar like a cloud seemingly trying to suffocate him. It was like he was having an all too familiar dream. It couldn't be the voices of the sword, could it? Nanai used her power on the broadsword, making it so the power within it would no longer close his heart.

He did hear a voice, but not a voice he recognized. Yet, despite the hovering blackness, the words were crystal clear. He had been selected for a survival tournament, and he was going whether he wanted to or not. Now that he thought about it, something did happen in town before he blacked out.

* * *

_He had been in the town of Rhoan, waiting for Tia to show like she usually did. He waited in the usual spot, but started tapping his foot impatiently because it was taking the orange haired girl too long to show up. The visitor he had gotten was not the girl, but rather a mysterious man dressed in a way that Anwar had never seen before._

_According to the man, the girl he was waiting for would not be arriving any time soon. Anwar's golden eyes narrowed when he heard the strange man words._

"_What have you done to Tia?" Anwar demanded as he took his broadsword out of its sheath._

_The man chuckled when he saw the look in the young man's eyes. "You needn't worry about this Tia," he remarked. "We just wanted to make sure that she wouldn't get in the way. You see, I've come for you, and I'm not leaving until you come along."_

_Anwar could care less about his reasons for harming Tia, or why he wanted him. All he knew was he was not going to make it easy. The purple haired boy made a promise to protect the girl with the blade he carried in his hands. And though she wasn't here exactly, he was going to do that now._

_He leapt into battle, using the skills that had helped him out many times before. Fighting was something he was really good at, and he had learned to take on multiple opponents at once. But this new guy had a trick up his sleeve as he removed a gun, but not the type that Anwar had ever seen._

_The purple haired man moved to the side to avoid being hit and used a horizontal slash. This battle was for Tia, he decided. He had to avenge her for what this guy did to her!_

_Little did he know was that someone was hiding by a nearby building. There was a whistling sound and Anwar felt something prick his neck. The next thing he knew, he was out like a light.

* * *

_

That's right… that strange man who kidnapped him did something to Tia! His golden eyes popped open and he found himself on board of a ship. Through the porthole, he could feel the ocean's breeze and it ruffled his hair. Now he was used to the winds of the desert, so this didn't feel quite right to him.

He slowly got to his feet and looked around the little room he was left in. It wasn't much to look at, but at least he had a bed, even if said bed was actually lumpy and not soft. But Anwar didn't really mind so much.

Anwar clenched his fists, trying to figure out what was going on. In his dreams, he heard briefly about a tournament. Or was he told when he was drifting off and he happened to hear it in his sleep? Well, either way, it didn't matter. What bothered him was that he was being forced to join this tournament and he didn't have a say in the matter.

Hoping that Tia was alright, Anwar figured he had to make the best out of the situation. Truthfully, he didn't like big crowds and he wasn't used to them. But he had no choice in this. In a way, it reminded of him of Olly, even if he was only doing a job when he was obeying the orders of the old witch.

The door to his room opened suddenly and he recognized the man that had attacked him back in Rhoan. Before he could reach for his broadsword, the man said, "We have finally arrived."

The next thing the desert boy knew he was being forced onto the beach. The sandy shore reminded Anwar of the desert, but only by a little bit. The beach wasn't so hot, and there was the ocean rolling in and out. The foam covered his feet as he took a good look around.

To Anwar's surprise, there wasn't a big crowd, or very many buildings. In fact, he would feel a little more comfortable. He did better when there wasn't so many people around anyway. As he walked along a little ways to get his bearings, he didn't see many buildings either.

Surviving in this place wouldn't be so hard for him. However, could the desert swordsman stand up to the likes of the people in this tournament? Only time would tell.


	2. Chapter 1: The Smell of Smoke

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

**AN: This chapter is connected to the Red vs. Pekonyan fight where Red was the winner.**

_Chapter 1: The Smell of Smoke_

Anwar had his eyes closed, wondering how long it had been since he'd arrived. He really had no interest in tournaments such as this. It did remind him of the tournament that Tia had been in. But for that he'd merely watched the action from the sidelines, not wanting to participate in it at all.

He clenched his fist at the thought of the orange haired girl. He had made a promise to protect the girl he cared about with his own sword. Yet, he wasn't able to do that, now to be kidnapped and made to participate in their tournament.

Did they really think that he would do exactly as they said?

Anwar purposefully remained hidden, a skill that he had learned during his training. However, his seclusion was twofold. Not only did it keep him out of sight, it was also to stay out of the cold rain falling from the gray leaden sky above him. Now that he thought about it, even the weather reminded him of the Chosen One, the girl named Tia. He'd met the girl in front of her house as the raindrops fell, and kidnapped her under the orders of the old woman Olly. Back then he was a heartless man who had no feelings at all.

It seemed that his meeting Tia had been fate, he was sure of that. It was because of her that he had regained his heart. He had even learned how to love through her.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound caught his attention. Raising an eyebrow at the strange sound, he took a cautious peak out of his hiding place. What he saw was a man with white hair sitting on this strange machine. Two smoldering cigars hung from either side of the man's mouth. He moved slightly to get a better view; he'd never seen anything like this before. He examined the strange looking machine, but didn't recognize what it could be at all. But what really caught his attention was the fact that he'd never seen anyone smoking two cigars at the same time!

His golden eyes narrowed slightly. He watched intently as the man removed a small piece of yellow colored paper and looked down at it. Anwar couldn't tell what was written on it was from where he was. But one thing was certain; he was going to find out.

With his eyes fixed on the target, Anwar carefully emerged from behind the bush he had been hiding in. It didn't take the man long to notice him approaching. "Ah from the looks of you, I assume you must be the Desert Swordsman, Anwar."

Anwar glared back at the man in confusion. Desert Swordsman, since when did he have a title such as that? "Who are you and how may I ask is it that you know who I am? Is it possible that you are working for the people who brought me to this place?"

"Smoker is the name, Captain Smoker to you. And yes, you could say that I was hired to find you," the man remarked. "You should be fighting the other people of the tournament."

"I have no interest in participating in this tournament," Anwar replied. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and in one smooth move, removed it from its sheath. "So if you are working for them… then it seems as though I have no choice… but to fight you."

Anwar took up a defensive posture, noticing that the stranger in front of him, the man who called himself Smoker, also had drawn a weapon. He tried to study the weapon as best he could; it was like no weapon he'd ever seen before. At first glance it resembled a Sai, but the middle of this blade was longer and it appeared as though a part was missing. In reality it was a sword, a weird looking one to be sure. If Smoker were to use that weapon just so, it could very well catch his own and give his opponent the advantage.

So this was going to be match fought with blades. Anwar considered himself lucky; after all, he was known for his ability with a sword. He refused to use any other type of weapon, even magic.

"Fool! You have just made a huge mistake," the man said to the desert boy.

"We shall see now won't we," Anwar remarked, keeping a steady eye on his opponent.

* * *

The Desert Swordsman was the first to attack, holding his broadsword above his left shoulder. Captain Smoker saw the oncoming attack, recognizing it as a horizontal slash; he brought up his blade to deflect the swordsman's attack and quickly struck back. Anwar did a back flip and escaped his opponent's attack, but just barely.

Anwar's golden eyes became cold. Smoker could see this very clearly. This was not the type of look one might expect for a boy his age. He's eyes… that look, he appeared almost heartless. It was though he would kill if he actually had the chance. _"Just what is this punk up to?"_

The desert dweller appeared focused and rushed forward with a battle cry. The Marine smirked, realizing that this boy was truly intent in harming him. Well, he would just have to teach him a lesson that he would never forget! Class was in session, time for a lesson in pain 101.

Smoker moved with lightning speed, catching Anwar's blade within his own. Smoker then attempted to pull the sword out of Anwar's grip and render his opponent defenseless. What he wasn't expecting was how surprisingly strong Anwar was. He was much stronger than his frame appeared. However, he had a mission to fulfill and in his mind, there was no reason to go easy on him. After all, if the Desert Swordsman wasn't holding back, than neither should he.

His left arm disappeared into a light gray cloud of smoke, slamming into the surprised desert dweller. The blow sent Smoker's opponent slamming into a nearby tree. Anwar grunted in pain and fell to his knees to try and catch his breath. In spite of being slammed into the tree, he'd kept a firm grip on his sword. Smoker grunted. This boy just didn't know when to quit, now did he?

* * *

Anwar growled angrily as he attempted to push himself to his feet. There was no way he was going to lose here! He refused to let that happen! There was only one person who was allowed to best him when it came to a sword fight, and that was Tia!

"There is no way I'm going to lose to you!" he yelled, his fury taking over. He jumped to his feet and ran towards Smoker as fast as the muddy ground allowed. Slipping only slightly, he jumped into the air and prepared to bring his attack down on the man. His opponent seemed to be prepared as well however, both his arms became smoke, and he blasted them in Anwar's direction.

He was already in the air, and there was no way that he could evade the attack! Slashing his sword left and right, he tried to slash at the smoke columns advancing towards him. Anwar gasped as his body was slamming anyway. With another cry of pain, he was flung back into the air and landed hard on the muddy ground not far from his attacker.

Smoker chuckled as he approached his fallen opponent. Anwar slowly pushed himself onto his knees and watched as the man drew closer. _"No… I won't lose here!"_

Without warning there was a flash of light followed by a defining clap of thunder. This was just great; the last thing he wanted now was a thunderstorm!

Doing his best to ignore the rumbles, the Desert Swordsman reached his feet, and clutched his blade as tightly as he could. This guy could somehow turn his body into smoke and that meant he had an unfair advantage.

Moments later there was another brilliant flash of light as lightning struck a nearby tree setting it ablaze. Smoker immediately moved away from the tree and continued his advance from a different angle, something Anwar quickly noticed.

_"As soon as the tree erupted into flames, he moved away from it. I wonder…"_

With nothing to lose, Anwar made a break for the tree. Smoker attempted to stop him from getting close to the flames, but this time, Anwar was ready for the smoke. He dodged as best he could, remembering how he'd gotten slammed around before.

Finally making it to the flaming tree he stuck the tip of his sword into the blazing mass. When he removed it, fiery orange and yellow flames danced on the blade.

Knowing this might be his last chance Anwar struck once more. However, this time, he tried a new tactic. He knew that he had to act quickly; the fire wouldn't last long in the now steady rain. With that thought in mind, the Desert Swordsman threw his weapon!

Smoker was not prepared for an attack like that and the sword connected with his side. While it wasn't a fatal blow, blood could clearly be seen oozing from the wound.

Without his weapon, Anwar went on the defensive while Smoker came with his weapon still drawn. Unlike before he was really focused, with his thoughts on Tia, and ending this whole thing once and for all!

And it would start with him!

Anwar dodged the smoke that came from his opponent's hands and rolled toward his fallen sword. He grabbed the cursed sword by the hilt, his eyes landing on the man that had been relentlessly attacking him up to this point. By now, the fire on his blade had gone out. But he didn't need it anymore.

Remembering a technique that Tia taught him, Anwar started to spin with his sword arm outstretched. Smoker couldn't keep up with the attack, and was caught off guard. Anwar's sword sliced at Smoker's side, his chest, his stomach, anywhere that the swordsman directed his sword to go.

By the time he finished, Smoker had fallen face first to the ground. Anwar looked at the fallen man; his blood stained the mud underneath him. It didn't take him long to know where his mind was in this. Just because he got his heart back didn't mean he couldn't take a life when the situation called for it.

Anwar lifted his blade, turned the tip downward and plunged it into Smoker's back ending the contest.

**AN: A Sai is type of weapon. I remember Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles using this weapon. I was reminded of it when I saw Smoker's sword in a picture, which is why I said that.**

**The Sword Hurricane, I think it's called that, is used by Yumil/Tia after being taught this by Gustav. I figured I could give Anwar this skill as well, considering he was close to Tia, and could have learned it from her.**


End file.
